Safety boot heel clamp for skis with release and recocking means



United States Patent.

72 Inventor Georges P. J. Salomon 50 Field oISearch 280/1 1.'3s

1 34 de Loverchy Ave., Annecy, Haute- Savole, France [56] ReferencesCited [2]] App]. No. 732,277 UNITED STATES PATENTS Filed 27, 19633,199,885 8/1965 Smolka 280/ l 1.35 1 q q Dec-8, 3,278,195 10/1966Salomon..... 280/1135 Pnomy #2: 1967 Sept 1967 Primary Examiner-BanjaminHersh [31] PV 108 953 and Pv 122 488 Assistant ExaminerJohn A. PekarAttomey- Pierre Lesperance [54] SAFETY BOOT HEEL CLAMP FOR SKIS WITHRELEASE AND RECOCKING MEANS ABSTRACT- A safety bool; heel clam f p orSklS provlded wlth lo chum 8 means to easily release the clamp andsecond means to auto- [52] US. 280/1135 matically recock the clamp bysimple downward pressure ex- [51] Int. A63c 9/084 erted by the bootheel.

I 3 7 6 l9 I6 30 13 31 mun-:0 use 8l97fi 3545781 SHEEI 1 BF 4 FIG. 2

INVENTOR. rg s P J. SALOMON BYQ Aq ant PATENTEU n11: 819111 35457 1SHEET 2 0F 4 FIG. 3

' INVENTOR. FIG. 4

Georges PJ- SA M N BY LP/0' PATENTED use 81970 I 3545; 781

SHEET 3 OF 4 INVENTOR. Georges PJ. SALOMON BY QM 1 Ht QnT PATENTEUnEcemu 3.5451781 saw u 0F 4 INVENTOR. Georges PJ- SALQM M BY AqenT SAFETYBOOT HEEL CLAMP FOR SKIS WITH RELEASE AND RECOCKING MEANS Safety bootclamps or bindings for skis are known, in which the release and/orrecocking operations must be manually effected by the user, theseoperations being difficult to effect especially in deep snow or on asteep hill.

Moreover, after each boot release, it is necessary to recock the clampand this constitutes an additional operation for the user.

the present invention has for its object to obviate the abovenoteddisadvantages in an efficient and simple manner.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided atleast one arm, one end of which rests on the recocking means for theelastic safety locking means and the other end of which is slidablymounted in a longitudinal slot and is connected to said elastic means,and at least one crank arm articulated on the clamp housing and engaginga notch in the arm and forming therewith a toggle lever arrangementtensioning the elastic means by downward push of the boot heel on therecocking treadle of the boot retaining jaw, and the release of saidelastic means by action on said crank arm.

In accordance with another embodiment, the above-noted arm carries aroller or a ramp cooperating with a fixed ramp or roller to cause, bydownward pushing of the boot heel on the front end of the arm, thetensioning of said elastic means.

Again in this embodiment, the fixedly mounted roller, or ramp, withwhich the ramp or roller of the arm coacts, can be disengaged, therebyreleasing the elastic safety locking means and allowing opening of theboot clamping jaw.

The invention will become more apparent during the following disclosureand by referring to the drawings, in which like reference charactersindicate like elements throughout:

FIG. 1 shows in longitudinal elevation a clamp in accordance with afirst embodiment in boot clamping or closed position on a ski;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the clamp of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the same embodiment in different stages of itsoperation;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section of a second embodiment in closedposition;

FIG. 6 is a similar section of the second embodiment in open position;and

FIG. 7 and 8 are longitudinal sections of a third embodiment in closedand open position, respectively.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the boot heel l is clamped on a ski 2 by means of jaw3 of a clamp housing 6. This jaw is pivoted on a shaft 7 and resilientlymaintained in closed position by a latch 8 slidable in guideways 9 andby a tension spring 10 attached at one end to said latch 8 and urgingthe latter in the direction of arrow 11, the other end of the spring 10being attached to a transverse shaft 12 slidable in longitudinal slots13 of the clamp housing 6.

Two arms 16 are secured to shaft 12 at one end and their opposite end 17overlies treadle 18 of the jaw 3, said treadle serving to recock theclamp. Moreover, each arm 17 is provided with a notch 19 for receiving astud 20 of a crank arm 21 secured to a shaft 22 pivotable in the clamphousing and elastically urged in accordance with arrow 23 by a spiralspring 25 resting at one end on the clamp housing and having its otherend engaging under a lever 26, secured to shaft 22.

Crank arms 21 and arms 16 constitute a toggle lever system.

The clamp operates in the following manner:

.law 3 retains the boot heel due to the action of latch 8 and tensionspring 10 maintained under tension, because studs 20 engage notches 19of arms 16 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In fact, the three shafts 12, 20, and 22are substantially in alignment and, therefore, shaft 12 cannot moveforwardly in the direction of arrow 24, because it is retained by shaft22.

For boot release, as shown in FIG. 3, the user presses down, forinstance by means of the end of a ski pole 29, on a push plate pivotedon a shaft 31 and urged upwardly in the direction of arrow 27 by aspiral spring 32 (see FIG. 2). This push plate acts on lever 26 andtherefore rotates shaft 22 and crank arms 21 in accordance with arrow27. This operation allows the release of studs 20 from notches 19 and,therefore, arms 16 are now free. These arms slide forwardly under theboot heel in the direction of arrow 24; shaft 12 moves forwardly inslots 13 and causes the release of the retaining spring 10. .law 3 beingno longer under the action of spring 10, is urged into open positionunder the action of a spiral spring 28 attached at one end to the jawand at the other end to shaft 7. Spring 28 opens the jaw in thedirection of arrow 27. The jaw treadle 18 raises the end 17 of arms 16in a position for the next boot clamping and safety mechanism recockingoperation.

Moreover, during the raising of arms 16, the crank arms 21 which areurged in the direction of arrow 23 by spiral spring 25 (see FIG. 2),rotate to a substantially upright position whereby their studs 20 againengage notches 19 (see FIG. 4). The clamp is therefore ready for thenext boot clamping operation.

For this purpose, it is only necessary for the user to engage the bootheel under the jaw and to press down on arm end 17. The jaw pivotsdownwardly by action of the boot heel on the treadle 18 and is hooked bylatch 8 (see FIG. 2), which is simultaneously pulled by spring 10,itself put under tension due to the toggle lever mechanism constitutedby arms 16 and crank arms 21. Thus, shaft 12 is pushed rearwardly withinslots 13 of the clamp housing. The clamp is now in latched position, asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, clamp housing 40 has pivoted therein a jaw 41 forretaining a boot heel 1 on a ski 2. This jaw 41 is retained in closedposition by a tension spring 42 attached at its other end to atransverse shaft 12 of an arm 43. Shaft 12 is slidable in guide slots 13of the clamp housing. Arrn 43 rests at its forward end on the treadle 46of the jaw 41 and is maintained in a position tensioning spring 42 bymeans of a roller 47 carried by ann 43, said roller coacting with a ramp48 of a cam 49 and allowing, when the arm is in the raised position,shown in FIG. 6, the release of tension spring 42 and, therefore,opening of the jaw which is then urged into open position by spiralspring 28, one end of which is secured to the pivot shaft 7 of the jaw.

For the boot clamping operation, the downward push exerted by the bootheel on arm 43 causes, in addition to the closing of the jaw by itstreadle 46, the rearward movement of arm 43, this rearward movementbeing caused by roller 47 moving on ramp 48 and therefore tension spring42 is recocked.

Advantageously, in order to allow manual opening of the clamp, cam 49 ispivotally mounted on jaw shaft 7 and abuts against a lever 50 which ispivoted to the clamp housing at 51 and maintained in a cam retainingposition by a leaf spring 52 attached to the clamp housing.

A downward push on lever 50, for example by means of the end of a skipole, causes the release of cam 49 which then can pivot in accordancewith arrow 27 to allow forward movement of arm 43 in the direction ofarrow 24. This causes release of tension spring 42 and opening of jaw41.

In FIGS. 7 and 8, clamp 60 is differentiated from the embodiment ofFIGS. 5 and 6 by the fact that the ramp 61 and the roller 62 aredisposed in inverted position, that is respectively on the arm 63 and ona support 66 which is pivoted on a shaft 67 and latched by a releaselever 69. Moreover, in order to improve the operation of the mechanism,shaft 70 to which is attached the locking tension spring 71, the latteralso attached to jaw 72, is no longer slidably mounted in slots butrotates in a link 73 which pivots on stationary shaft 76 serving as apivot for the release lever 69. Rotation of lever 69 in the direction ofarrow 27 against the action of a leaf spring 77, causes the release ofsupport 66, forward movement of arm 63 in the direction of arrow 24 and,therefore, the release of spring 71. Jaw 72 being now free, is urgedinto open position in the direction of arrow 27 under the action ofspiral spring 28.

lclaim:

l. A ski boot heel safety clamp comprising a housing, a boot heelengaging jaw having a treadle and pivoted in said housing between openand closed position, shaft means mounted in said housing for movementtowards and away from said jaw, tension spring means acting on said jawand onsaid shaft means to urged said jaw into closed position, an armpivoted at one end to said shaft means and having its other end restingon said treadle whereby lowering rnjovement of said arm by a ski bootheel causes pivoting of said jaw into closed position, spring meansurging said jaw into opened boot releasing position and said treadleinto raised position, means engageable with said arm andcausing'movement of said arm and shaft means away from said jaw into aretracted position and, consequently, tensioning of said tension springmeans, upon said lowering movement of said arm, by aski boot heel andrelease means acting on said means engageable with said arm to releasethe last named means from said arm.

2. A clamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means engageable withsaid arm include a crank arm pivoted in said casing and carrying a stud,said arm having a notch engageable by said stud, spring means urgingsaid crank arm into a sub stantially upright position, said arm, when inlowered position, causing said stud, shaft means and pivotal axis ofsaid crank arm to be in substantial alignment to maintain said arm inretracted position. i

3. A clamp as claimed in claim 2, wherein said release means include apusher plate pivoted. on said housing at the top thereof, a leversecured to the pivotalaxis of said crank arm and engageable by saidpusher plate to move said crank arm into notch disengaged position.

4. A clamp as claimed'in claim 2, wherein said housing has slots inwhich said shaft means are slidably mounted.

5. A clamp as claimed in claim 1, further including a latch memberslidably mounted in said housing and engageable with said jaw, saidlatch member attached to said tension spring means and retaining saidjaw in closed position when said ten,-

sion spring means are stressed.

6. A clamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tension spring means aredirectly attached to said jaw and said means engageable with said arminclude a cam membermounted in said housing and having a' ramp, rollermeans carried by said arm and engageable'by said ramp, said ramp causingmovement of said arm away from said jaw upon lowering of said arm andallowing movement of said arm towards said jaw upon raising of said arm.fl

7. A clamp as claimed in claim'6, wherein'said release means, include apusher plate pivotally mounted in said housing on the top thereof, saidcam member being pivotally mounted on the pivotal axis of said jaw andheld against pivotal movement by engagement with ,said pusher plate,pivotal movement of said pusher plate releasing said cam member to allowpivotal movement of the latter and, consequently, forward movement of'said arm.

8 A clamp as claimed in claim 6, wherein said housing has longitudinalslots, said shaft means mounted for slidable and guided movement i ssaid slots.

9. A clamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tensionspring means aredirectly attached to said jaw and further including link means pivotedon said housing at one end andcarrying said shaft means at their otherend, said means engageable with said arm including a support mounted insaid housing, roller means carried by said support, said arm having aramp and notch engageable by said roller means, whereby upon loweringmovement of said arm, said roller means will ride on said ramp and willcause rearward displacement of said arm.

10. A clamp as claimed in claim 9, wherein said support is pivotallymounted in said housing and wherein said release means include a pusherplate pivoted in said housing and normally engaging said support andretaining the same against rotation, pivotal movement of said pusherplate disengaging said supportand allowing longitudinal movement of saidarm.

